Africa: Parliamentary Potential

Editor's Note

The new Pan-African Parliament officially launched this month will
have only advisory and consultative rather than legislative powers
in its first five-year term. Its members are appointed by national
parliaments rather than directly elected. But its rapid creation is
already raising hopes that it may serve as a new public forum for
airing critical African issues, including equality for women.
Tanzania's Gertrude Mongella was elected by secret ballot as the
president of the new body.

This AfricaFocus Bulletin includes a press release and short news
report on the inaugural session, and a statement from African NGO
networks calling for the parliament to take an "activist" role.

For additional commentary, background information, and links on the
African Union and the Pan-African Parliament, see the special issue
of Pambazuka News for March 18, 2004 at
http://www.pambazuka.org/index.php?issue=148 The African Union
website at http://www.africa-union.org has the text of the protocol
defining the parliamentary body, as well as a call for public
response to strategic documents outlining the Union's direction
over the coming years.

++++++++++++++++++++++end editor's note+++++++++++++++++++++++

African Union

Press Release No.019/2004

Inaugural and the First Session of the Panafrican Parliament

Addis Ababa, March 19, 2004

The African Union, on Thursday, March 18, 2004, took another giant
stride by inaugurating the Pan-African Parliament, one of its most
important organs. The Pan-African Parliament, within the initial
period, shall have consultative and advisory powers only, with the
aim of ultimately evolving into an institution with full
legislative powers.

Two hundred and two (202) legislators from 41 of the 53 Member
States of the African Union, were yesterday sworn in at a solemn
ceremony presided over by the Chairperson of the African Union,
H.E. Mr. Joachim Chissano, President of the Republic of Mozambique
and witnessed by the President of the Federal Democratic Republic
of Ethiopia, Mr. Girma Wolde Giorgis; the Prime Minister of the
Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Mr. Meles Zenawi and Prof.
Alpha Oumar Konar‚, Chairperson of the Commission of the African
Union. The Pan-African Parliament elected the Hon. MP Mrs. Getrude
Mongela from the United Republic of Tanzania as President who will
spearhead the affairs of the Pan-African Parliament for the next
five years.

According to Prof. Konar‚, the Pan-African Parliament has a "vital
role to play in the implementation of the objectives and principles
enshrined in the Constitutive Act of the Union, particularly, with
regard to the protection of human rights consolidation of
democratic institutions, popularization and promotion of good
governance".

African Union Puts Women First Once Again

Africa's first pan-continental parliament was inaugurated in Addis
Ababa today, and immediately took a bold step, amid stirring and
emotional scenes that may give a clue to the future tone and
approach of the new body.

The MPs' first act, after being sworn in, was to elect a woman as
president of their parliament. Tanzania's Gertrude Mongella is a
veteran CCM [Chama cha Mapinduzi - Tanzanian ruling party]
politician, ambassador and educationist who in her 34-year career
has strongly supported the advancement of women.

The move reinforces the strong image of the African Union as
determined to advance gender equality. Half the members of the
10-person African Union Commission are women.

The legal steps towards creating the PanAfrican parliament were
taken at the AU summit in Maputo, Mozambique in July 2003.

By late February this year, 38 member states had ratified the
protocol and most of those had submitted the list of their five
members of parliament. At least one of the five had to be a woman
but several delegations chose two or more women, a fact which drew
approving comment from Mozambique's president Chissano, chairing
the inaugural session.

The nomination of Ms Mongella first came from the Nigerian
delegation leader who made a powerful speech in her favour,
demanding to know, at one point, whether there was any point in any
other candidate being put forward; seconded by Sierra Leone, his
address drew loud applause and shouts of support from the
surrounding delegations.

The Ghanaian delegation came next, to say that they had intended to
put their candidate up for the parliament's presidency but that
"imbued with the spirit of unity, solidarity and sharing" they had
decided to withdraw in favour of Ms Mongella.

Delegates cheered even more loudly, apparently believing that her
election was in the bag.

But then the Sudanese delegation took the floor. They described the
history and qualifications of their favoured candidate, Angelo Beda
- deputy speaker of Sudan's parliament - at length, stressing his
suitability for the task. The disappointment in the hall was almost
palpable.

But then, said the speaker, "when we decided to propose him we
thought that we were proposing a man of caliber. Now we have
noticed that this august hall wants a lady" I would like to tell
the august hall that for the last two days we had vigorous
negotiation with our colleagues from Tanzania when we never agreed
to withdraw; but we are now withdrawing on the will of the house."

The concession brought the house down and there were several
minutes of banging, cheering and clapping as - mostly - women
streamed out of their seats, weaving among the desks towards
Gertrude Mongella and the Tanzanians for victory hugs and impromptu
dancing, stopping en route to shake the hands of the Ghanaians and
Sudanese who had so handsomely climbed down.

A tiresome hour of technicalities followed as delegates argued
about whether they could elect Mongella, now the sole candidate, by
acclamation or whether they had to hold a secret ballot. In the
end, Chissano and the lawyers won out against those who wanted to
buck the rules and display complete unanimity; a lengthy ballot was
held in which members scrutinized every vote cast.

The result? Twenty-one against, 13 abstaining but a stunning 166
votes for Mongella, an outcome that somehow managed simultaneously
to vindicate both Chissano's view that those voting against must be
allowed to be register their view, and those who had argued that
her supporters were so numerous that the ballot wasn't needed.

Mongella, dressed in sober blue but clearly delighted, took the
oath in a clear, deep voice at the podium and then gracefully
received the gavel from a Chissano apparently relieved to be
handing over the cares of office to the proper official.

In a graceful speech she stressed her commitment to women's
equality but praised the men for having done most of the changing
needed to reach today's vote. Then promising to be guided by the
principles of partnership between men and women, and peace, she
firmly sent everyone off to lunch.

African and International CSOs Call for an "Activist" Pan African
Parliament

Press Release On The Inauguration Of The African Parliament, Addis
Ababa

Press Release

18th March 2004

Action Not Talk: African and International NGOs and networks
challenge the new Pan African Parliament

Eleven international and African organisations and networks called
on the new Pan-African Parliament to set an ambitious agenda as it
was inaugurated today in Addis Ababa. The organisations including
the African Women's Empowerment Network, Eastern African
Sub-regional Support Initiative for the Advancement of Women,
FEMNET, PADEAP, Pan African Movement, Fahamu learning for Change,
Fahamu SA Trust, MWENGO, Justice Africa and Oxfam GB called on the
new Parliament to embrace improving governance, giving citizens a
voice and improving the human rights environment in Africa as a key
priorities.

For most poor people and especially women in Africa, parliaments
are far removed from the day-to-day realities and challenges they
face. The Pan African parliament is far from being representative
(one MP for every 2.6 million people) therefore the 256
parliamentarians must go beyond being a talk shop to advance the
issues that face millions of poor Africans.

The organisations called for Parliamentarians to champion in their
respective countries, the ratification of the Protocol to the
African Charter on Human and People's Rights on the Rights of Women
in Africa, before the Heads of States Summit in July 2004.

Elizabeth Kharono of EASSI in Kampala

"We immediately place the challenge of reducing gender inequality
in the orientation packs of the 256 Pan African Parliamentarians.
We will judge the first year of the parliament not on whether it
articulates its standing orders well, but on the number of
ratifications it delivers on the AU Protocol for Women's rights"

Lastly, the Parliament must become a key forum for pushing for
better global terms for Africa around debt, trade and aid.
Parliamentarians must keep Africa's demands at the forefront of
global talks within the World Trade Organisation, the World Bank
and International Monetary Fund.

Elizabeth Eilor of the pan African AWEPON Network based in Kampala

"Parliamentarians should lead in articulating Africa demands for
total and unconditional debt cancellation and making trade fairer
- by stopping export dumping and saying no to the WTO new issues.
This would help Africa lift itself out of poverty. They can also
speak out against multinationals who are using and abusing our
continent's rich resources and ensure that investment works for,
rather than against the poor".

Recognising that in many countries, the public is shut out of the
political debate, the organisations called for the African
parliament to open up the space for African citizens and
organisations to have a voice within the AU and it's member
governments.

Rose Gawaya of Oxfam GB in Pretoria adds, "The credibility of the
Pan African Parliament needs to go beyond what they represent but
on what they do, the causes they champion and the positive changes
they bring to the lives of ordinary people across Africa. By doing
this, the Pan African Parliament can deepen its credibility and
relevance to African peoples struggling with poverty and injustice
across the continent."

For further information or to set up interviews please contact in
Addis:

Statement by International and African CSOs on the day of the
inauguration of the Pan African Parliament

Africa needs an "Activist" Pan African Parliament

The inauguration of African Parliament occurs exactly ten years
after the Rwandese genocide, the first democratic elections in
South Africa and the Beijing 4th World Conference on Women. As
these events and experiences a decade ago continue to shape the
past and future of Africa, they frame the challenge before the
African parliament. This has to be an Activist Parliament. The
current conditions in Africa demand no less.

Since 1994, we have not seen significant gains for poor and
marginalized groups in Africa. Parts of the continent have been
characterized by a crisis in governance reflected in conflicts
leading to massive displacement and abuse of the rights people,
especially women and children, and deepening poverty. Yet, there
has been progress. With wars coming to an end in Sierra Leone,
Angola, Liberia, Congo and Sudan, the situation in 1994 where a
fifth of all Africans lived in situations of conflict is coming to
an end.

Champion ratification of the AU Protocol on Women's Rights

In its first term, the parliament must prioritise the realisation
of human rights, improved quality of governance and the right of
citizens to be heard and participate in affairs that affect their
lives. Key to realising higher standards of rights is the Protocol
to the African Charter on Human and People's Rights on the Rights
of Women in Africa. We urge all Pan African Parliamentarians to
champion the immediate ratification of the Protocol to the African
Charter on Human and People's Rights on the Rights of Women in
Africa, before the Heads of States Summit in July 2004.

We immediately place the challenge of gender inequality, poverty
and development in the orientation packs of the 256 Pan African
Parliamentarians. We will judge the first year of the parliament
not on whether it articulates its standing orders well, but on the
number of ratifications it delivers on the AU Protocol for Women's
rights

Expand the space for citizens to be heard and participate in AU
public affairs

We also call on parliamentarians to support access of African
citizens and organisations to the various specialised agencies of
the AU and member Governments. Non-state actors, especially civil
society organizations, represent the voices of the voiceless
sections of society, they are key development agents; they are
watchdogs for respect of human rights; they contribute
significantly to shaping national and international policies and
project implementation.

Lastly, we urge Africa to celebrate this inauguration but
immediately place on the Parliament's agenda, the challenge of
negotiating better global terms for Africa around debt, trade and
aid. Parliamentarians must keep Africa's demands at the forefront
of multi-lateral policy processes within the World Trade
Organisation, the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.

Parliamentarians should become active in articulating Africa's
existing positions on the need for total and unconditional debt
cancellation, rejection of the WTO new issues and the elimination
of northern subsidies and export credits that are currently
devastating our economic potential. In so doing, they can
meaningfully help the continent to reclaim and retain the policy
space for regulation and monitoring of movement of capital
investments and trans-national corporations on the continent.

The credibility of the Pan African Parliament cannot rest on their
representational quality but on the issues they espouse, the causes
they champion and the positive changes they bring to the lives of
ordinary people across Africa. By doing this, the Pan African
Parliament can deepen its credibility and relevance to African
peoples struggling with poverty and injustice across the continent.

Signed by Eleven international, regional and continental
organisations and networks are headquartered in Uganda, Zimbabwe,
South Africa, Kenya and the UK and work on human rights, debt, aid
and trade.

Background Media Advisory on the Pan African Parliament

Summary of the statutes establishing the Pan African parliament

The preamble to the treaty establishing the Pan African Parliament
states as a vision "a common platform for African peoples and their
grassroots organisations to be more involved in discussions and
decision-making on the problems and challenges facing the
continent". Article 11 enables the Parliament to provide oversight
for the budget of the AU, harmonisation of policies towards
regional integration and make recommendations that promote human
rights, democratic institutions and good governance among other
functions. During the first term of its existence the Parliament
shall "exercise advisory and consultative powers only [article
11]". Article 4 provides for five legislators at least one being a
woman to be appointed from national parliaments and deliberative
organs. If all countries ratify the Parliament, Africa can expect
265 legislators, Speaker and Deputy Speaker to be sworn in on March
18th 2004 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The African Union has made remarkable progress over 2003

The African Union 2003 Heads of Summit Conference in Maputo was
remarkable in three respects. Firstly, it adopted a progressive
Protocol to the African Charter of Peoples and Human Rights on the
Rights of Women that enshrines a commitment to integrating a gender
perspective in the public affairs of states. Secondly, the Union
elected its Commissioners on a 50:50 gender parity basis. Lastly,
the election of former Malian President Alpha Konare has
revitalised the leadership of the Union.

Between 2004 and 2007, the Union shall evolve mechanisms that will
regulate public participation (ECOSOC), legislative oversight (the
African Parliament), human rights and legal enforcement (African
Charter on Human and Peoples Rights, African Court on Human and
People's Rights and The African Court of Justice) and regional
economic integration (Central Bank, Customs Union). As the
institutions increase their capacity to regulate and shape Africa's
political and economic development, continental integration -
economically, politically, socially, will increasingly becoming a
critical factor to overcoming poverty and enhancing governance in
Africa.

From a human rights lens, it is possible to begin conceptualising
the African Union and its specialised mechanisms along the lines of
state obligations namely; to respect, protect and fulfil political,
economic and social rights. The Charter and indeed, the Women's
rights protocol become not "side" policies but the very framework
that the success of the African Union and NEPAD will be judged.

This progress is threatened by a hostile international policy
context

Yet the revitalisation of state Pan-Africanism occurs in a rapidly
changing international policy context. In 2001, international
opinion on Africa appeared to have taken a radical departure from
the early nineties where African leaders claimed that Africa had
been forgotten after the cold war. This spirit reflected in the
centrality of Africa for the 2001 and 2002 G8 summits and the
influential but short-lived enthusiasm around the UN Financing for
Development consultations.

In 2003, the hope of new approaches to old problems of inequitable
trade relations and inadequate aid flows appears to have been
severely punctured by a return to aid scepticism, a pervasive
anti-terrorist lens and the subsequent undermining of
multi-lateralism. In this context, unreconstructed multi-lateral
agencies such as the World Trade Organisation, the World Bank and
International Monetary Fund as well as the British, French and
American Governments seem set to continue crowding out national
sovereignty and dominating the policy discourse on and in Africa
for the next three years.

Challenge for public accountability ahead - the Pan African
parliament

At a rough estimate, there are over 9,210 national parliamentarians
among Africa's population of 700 million people. That is, one
legislator for every 76,000 people. For most poor people in Africa,
parliaments and legislative bodies seem disconnected from the
day-to-day realities and challenges they face. If the crisis of
relevance seems stark in some national contexts, than at regional
levels the challenge for parliamentarians is multiplied.265
legislators elected indirectly in a continent of 700 million people
(one MP for every 2.6 million people) does not embody a high
capacity for representative democracy, much less "a platform for
African peoples and their grassroots organisations".

Until members are elected by universal adult suffrage the
credibility of the Pan African Parliament cannot rest on their
representational quality but on the issues they espouse, the causes
they champion and the changes they bring to the lives of ordinary
people across Africa.

AfricaFocus Bulletin is an independent electronic publication
providing reposted commentary and analysis on African issues, with
a particular focus on U.S. and international policies. AfricaFocus
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